Buffalo Bicycling Club Message on Women’s Cycling

June 28, 2022

Hello BBC Members, women racers, and the greater bike racing community,

As our 2022 season is underway, the Buffalo Bicycling Club (BBC) Officers wanted to reach out to all of you about a new initiative that the BBC is going to take for all of our USA Cycling sanctioned races effective immediately.

Women’s road and crit racing in Buffalo and around Upstate New York has had lower participation in recent years, and the BBC is taking action. We listened to female racers from our club and beyond, and the BBC has heard:

1) If women don’t see other women pre-registered, they are unlikely to register, which in turn means others won’t register.

2) Women will travel to races with large women’s fields but not for low registration races.

USA Cycling data shows that ~20% of licensed racers are women.  While there are fewer women racing, there is untapped potential in increasing women’s field sizes in our region.  The BBC has the infrastructure to put on excellent races using Buffalo’s varied terrain, which makes for exciting road and crit racing.

The BBC is prepared to take an unprecedented step to tell women road and crit racers that we want you at our USA Cycling sanctioned events: Effective immediately, registration for all women’s fields in the sanctioned races promoted by the BBC will be free.  This applies to all categories as part of our 5-year plan to grow women’s racing in Buffalo.  In our club’s 50th year, this is part of our “BBC Next 50” plan.  While we heard from female racers that the entry fee is not the top barrier to participation for most, we are doing this as a promoter because we want to do our part to address this issue and put Buffalo on the map for quality women’s road and crit races with our fantastic race courses.  All women’s prizes will continue to be the same as the men’s prizes for our events.

Growing women’s racing will not happen overnight, but we are in this for the long haul. The BBC wants quality women’s USAC-sanctioned racing right here in Buffalo.

Update: Here is our USA Cycling-sanctioned race schedule in 2023:

April 30, 2023– Marilla Spring Classic Road Race

May 21, 2023– Buffalo Ohio St Criterium at Resurgence Brewing Company

June 18, 2023– Hamburg Road Race

July 9, 2023– Freedom Run Winery Road Race

Sincerely,

Steven Mongielo, President

Tim Williams, Vice-President
James Thompson, Treasurer

Gregory Cherr, Secretary

Thom Robinson, Race Director

Frank Grillo, Education Director